When I Found My Soulmate
by SorrowsOfTheMoon
Summary: The characters in this Fanfiction belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the plot is mine. ********** When two soulmates find and accept each other as their other half, their eyes change colors. With only a simple mark on his left arm, join Draco in his loveless life as he navigates the halls of Hogwarts looking for something... someone. And an opportunity to prove himself worthy.
1. I Found You

**This is posted on my Wattpad account (ASirensWhisper)**

Chapter One: I Found You

Draco is miserable. Boarding the Hogwarts Express is an absolute hell. Aside from the barely concealed whispers about my family and father, who is currently in Azkaban, he passes by so many happy couples. And knows for a fact that most of the 'happy couples' that he just passed are pairs of soulmates. Draco knows that he too has a soulmate but, unless his soulmate is pureblood, female, and of influential stature in the Ministry, they will be irrelevant to him. No matter where his father is- whether he's at the Manner or in Azkaban- he will always influence and control my life. It is as if he even gave a damn about what his heir and only child wants, when he could care more about himself and that damn image he presents to the public.

But, regardless of what he wants, he still longs to know who his soulmate is. Finally reaching my usual compartment, he stretches his left arm out to the handle to open the door. As he pushes the door open, the sleeve of his shirt falls down, revealing his soulmark- a black outline of a dragon tooth of which I know belongs to a Hungarian Horntail- on my forearm. Hastily pulling the sleeve down, Draco bolts through the door and into the compartment- which is surprisingly empty- and take a seat closest to the window.

Time passes slowly and yet, no one- not one fifth year Slytherin- has entered the compartment . Even though I've been given lessons on proper pureblood ediquite and the do's and don'ts- "Always be more than ten minutes early to events" ,"Sit up straighter, Draco", "Don't slouch, Draco", " Stand up taller, Draco", "Stop fiddling, Draco", "Don't eat with your elbows on the table, Draco"-it is incredibly boring sitting alone. He looks down at his concealed left forearm and unconsciously rolls up the sleeve. Pale skin, a stark contrast to the jet black mark on my arm. Bringing a finger to the mark, he trace the outline remembering something he'd read when He was younger that was about soulmates.

There are two signs that two individuals are soulmates. One is known as a soulmark. Soulmarks are placed on the skin of the two soulmates and are the same image but are usually placed in different areas of the body. This is a way for soulmates to find each other.

The second sign is the color of the cornea of the eyes of each individual in the pairing to change. The only time the color of the cornea will change is after each individual has accepted there soulmate as the other half to themself. Once they have accepted each other, they will each have two different eye colors- one from another- so that one eye will be the individual's birth eye color and the other will be their soulmate's birth eye color.

Draco is cast out of his thoughts when he compartment door slams open. A bedraggled Pansy and Blaise stumble through the door emerge with swollen lips, unaware of Draco's presence in the compartment. When they catch sight of him, two sets of violet purple and obsidian eyes widen. The two immediately try to compose themselves. As they do so, Draco rolls down his sleeve. The now less bedraggled Pansy and Blaise glide over to the open seats in front of him.

They don't speak. Just all relatively formal mannerisms at play. It isn't until the train starts moving ten minutes later when Pansy speaks.

"How was your summer, Draco?" It takes much effort to prevent a scoff from escaping his lips but not enough to stop his eyes from rolling.

"What do you think? My father is in Azkaban, for Merlin's sake! My mother and I have been watched by not only the Aurors, but the Daily Profit and other journalists! So you tell me!" She just nods her her head, unable to say anything else. She doesn't speak for a few long moments, trying to find something to converse about. She looks to her soulmate for support. Their eyes meet and seem to have a silent conversation. Their 'conversation' goes on for quite a long time so, Draco clears his throat, albeit loudly, and raises one of his perfectly manicured eyebrows at the two. Blaise turns his head to meet his gaze.

Shifting uncomfortably, he says,

"I went to Venice with mother. We visited our property for a little while..." Blaise continues to ramble on and on about his summer. An awkward, pregnant silence fills the compartment when he finishes recounting events. Draco is grateful when the familiar voice of the Trolley Witch is heard through the compartment door.

Checking his pockets for his minimized trunk, he stands up with a aching joints. Walking slowly to the door, he pushes the door open, the damned left sleeve of his shirt refusing to obey his will, as it slides down the length of his arm. He steps out of the compartment and walks the distance to the cart.

The sweet aroma of the treats greats his senses. Looking at the cart, Draco grabs two chocolate frogs and a bag of Pepper Imps. He hands them to the Trolley Which.

"Eleven sickles and seven knuts, please". Draco hands the old witch the money and walks back to the compartment door. Peaking through the window, he can see that Pansy and Blaise are kissing again. No longer wishing to stay there, Draco resorts to wandering the train. 'It used to be different. It was never this awkward with Pansy or Blaise before. Merlin knows that I might run into someone. Perhaps Theo Nott or Crabbe and Goyle.' He thought. 'Maybe even...no impossible. Well, unlikely, but I could run into them.' With that thought in mind, he walked with light footsteps around the train doing his best not to be noticed. After wandering down the aisle for quite some time, he came across three very distinct figures- one with frizzy, brown hair, one with obnoxious ,ginger hair hair and gangly figure, and last, one with the all to familiar messy raven hair and bespectacled emerald green eyes. They're huddled in a semi-circle, murmuring in low voices. Putting my head down, Draco walks past them and manages to pick up a few words. They don't acknowledge his presence so he walks past them as quietly and swiftly as possible. Draco replays what he had just heard though his head as he walks to the very back of the train.

"...you found each other..."

"It doesn't just happen..."

"I doubt I even have one..."

"...Harry..."

"Look, mate..."

" But I do mean it..."

'What do they mean? What are they talking about?' Draco thinks to himself as he settles himself into a seat. Usually, he'd follow them but now, he is in no hurry to. As much as it interests him, he has no wish to create a scene. Especially, since his father is in Azkaban. He does not need to drag the Malfoy name further into the dirt because of a petty rivalry.

Before he can get lost in thought again, Draco slides his wand into his hand and summons his robes out of his trunk. He walks to the closest restroom to change into his robes. Only, when he opens the door, his sleeve, yet again, slides down. Before he knows it, he is face to face with his rival of five years.

Harry Potter is also changing in the restroom. But, as he hurriedly throws on his pressed- white button-down shirt, Draco notices something. A black soulmark tattoo, in the exact same shape as his own, over his right rib cage. In a daze, he stares at where the mark once was, even as the shirt covers it. It isn't until, Potter glares, brushes past him, and walks through the door when Draco is shaken out of his stupor.

At first, all Draco wants to do is shout 'I found my soulmate!' at the top of his lungs and chase after Harry Potter. Then, reality comes crashing down, taking all signs of his euphoria with it. Harry Potter, is his soulmate. The boy he ridiculed for years, the person who put his father in Azkaban, the one who stands for everything Draco and his family doesn't is his soulmate. And Draco cannot have him because he isn't one of things on his list. But, Draco has found his soulmate...but it can't be him. It just can't be.


	2. But It Can’t Be You

It's impossible. And yet, it seems that it makes perfect sense. Soulmates are usually opposites; why soulmates complement each other so well. But for Draco, its the worst thing that could possibly happen. He wanted a soulmate to treasure as much as the most prized possessions lying in Malfoy Manner. He didn't expect that he'd actually find his soulmate, and he certainly didn't expect to find his soulmate and be able to check off every box in his father's expectations for his to-be spouse and lover. And yet, he still wished for one. He wanted to do everything for them. He wanted to flatter them. He wanted to impress them. He wanted to buy them fancy things. But he couldn't do any of these things for Harry Potter, of all people.

Harry Potter was a lot of things. But he could be Draco's soulmate but never his lover. He would probably consider Draco someone to be hated, a rival, an enemy. Draco knew that he never really hated Potter, rather, he hated that he turned down his hand in friendship. But, it wasn't as if Draco could get close enough to Potter to propose a truce or friendship, simply for the sake of getting to know his soulmate. If he actually did get that chance, Draco vowed that he'd be kinder than he was before and, he wouldn't make fun of Potter's friend choices. 'One can wish...' He thought spitefully.

Sighing, he shook his head, and began to change into his robes. When he finished changing, he walked through the same door he entered from and his newfound soulmate just rushed through moments ago. Walking off the train, Draco looked for Pansy and Blaise. With no such luck, he sighed again and walked to the carriages. Finding an empty one, Draco settled into a seat.

Minutes later, a familiar voice welcomed him, "Hello Ferret."

"Evening Scarhead."

"Now, as much as I hate th..."

"Get to the point, Potter!" Draco snapped. Even though Harry was his soulmate, he couldn't stand to hear him babble. 'But it's kinda cute...' his unhelpful brain protested.

"As I was trying to say Malfoy, I don't want to be here."

"Then why the hell are you here." Sighing, resigned, Harry slumped downward and replied in a very defeated whisper.

"There are no more carriages with empty space. "

"So, what does that have to do with me? I'm sure someone would gladly give up their seat for their precious Golden Boy. And what of your friends? The Weasel and Mudblood? Or any of the Gryffindors." Draco sneered. 'So much for not insulting Potter's friends...'

"Don't call them that! You see, that's the problem. Every single carriage is full. I. Do. NOT. Have a choice. So, if you'll be a decent person- unlike your usual, prattish self- let me on this carriage." Draco let out a breath, faking annoyance.

"Fine. But only because I have no choice." And with those words the one and only Harry Potter extraordinaire climbs into the carriage, albeit clumsily, and throws himself into an empty seat- which happens to be the one right in front of Draco's. Amused, Draco can't help but smile at his soulmate's clumsiness. Potter turns and Draco replaces the smile with a scowl.

The carriage starts moving -an invisible force that Draco knows are Thestrals -pulling the carriage along towards the castle. An awkward silence spread until the castle came in view. Soon, the carriage slowed and stopped all together. Not wanting to be in Draco's presence anymore, Harry rushed away as soon as he could gather his things. Slowly following, Draco too exited the carriage and walked his way to the Great Hall.

When Draco reached the Great Hall, he wondered to the Slytherin Table and sat down between Theo Nott and Pansy- who was quite occupied kissing Blaise. Theo turned to him and smiled a smile little too brightly for any Slytherin.

"Draco, thank Merlin you're here! I've been dying with those two eating each other's faces..." Theo said, attempting to whisper but failing terribly. The corners of Draco's lips pulled up and he replied, not caring about who over-heard.

"Oh, believe me when I say I know. I was in the compartment with them and that was all they seemed to want to do...It got so bad that I just had to leave." Theo nodded sympathetically.

"So, I heard that you got stuck on a carriage with Potter. How was that?"

"Just bloody wonderful. Thank Merlin he stayed mute."

"Well...even if he did talk, I suspect that you'd either be insulting each other or you'd rant about 'how green his eyes are, how messy his hair is, how stupid his scar looks plastered on his forehead'." Theo imitated- trying not to laugh- causing Draco to scowl.

"I do not sound like that! And I certainly did NOT say that!" Theo just smirked and gave Draco a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want to say. Hope your happy now."

"Immensely..."

Soon, first years came parading into the Great Hall to be sorted. The Sorting Hat sang its song, and then the sorting began. After, Dumbledore gave his annual speech, short as usual. Food appeared on the tables and people began to eat.

Draco plied food on to his plate, started to eat, and then the most peculiar thing happened. Draco had been looking down at his plate but he felt someone's stare boring into his head. He looked up, feeling burned and caught the eye of his soulmate staring at him with contempt. Draco sneered, turned his head so that he was looking at Theo- who had been watching the exchange with barely concealed laughter.

"What are you laughing about?" Draco demanded.

"Oh nothing..." Theo paused as Draco glared at him full force. "Oh fine! You two always are glaring at each other. That, or trying to snatch the other's attention. One could assume that you two are soulmates..." Draco blushed.

"What...why would anyone think that?!"

"You'd be surprised. Apparently, you two are shipped quite a lot. It's very popular, actually." Draco rested his head on the table and groaned.

"Yeah... and he definitely is not my soulmate with a damn Hungarian Horntail tooth over his right rib cage. And why did I just say that...?" His voice was muffled and soft but, Theo was still able to hear him. He was now sporting a look of shock.

"So, are you subtly hinting that Potter, the Gryffindor Golden Boy, is the soulmate to you, Draco Malfoy, Ice Prince Of Slytherin?" Draco groaned again but, reluctantly nodded. He peaked a look up and saw Theo with a gleeful expression plastered on his face.

"My ship...my OTP... it's actually true...It's real. DRARRY IS REAL!!!!!"

"Shut up, Theo! And what the hell is Drarry?" Draco demanded.

Lowering his voice, Theo responded. "Drarry is the relationship between you and Harry. Drarry is the combination of your first names thus the 'Dra' from your name and 'rry' in Harry's name. There's also a Harco but that's usually the ship when Harry tops..." Theo continued to rant and Draco let him. Draco smirked.

"So, Drarry is the ship where I top?" Eyes gleaming with mischief. Theo nodded enthusiastically. "I like this ship even more now..." Draco suddenly got serious. "You have to keep quite about this. Promise me. You won't like the consequences if you spill this secret."

"Of course! I won't do ANYTHING to ruin the chances of my OTP getting together." Theo said fiercely. Draco nodded and went back to his food that was now cold. He place a warming charm on the food and then preceded to eat, trying-and failing- to not laugh at Theo's starstruck looks when he exchanged glances between Draco and Harry. Dinner slowly finished and then the food disappeared and Dumbledore was dismissing the Houses to leave to go to their respective dorms and common rooms.

Draco got up with Theo right behind him. Draco caught the angry green glare of his soulmate and gave a half smile. Potter blushed and Draco turned the smile to a smirk. He turned away and faced Theo, who had been watching the exchange with an inquisitive gleam in his eyes. He studied Draco's face and said,

"Now,I know that Malfoys don't show physical affection. But unless my eyes have deceived me, you just smiled at Harry Potter. And from what my limited knowledge about what Malfoys do and don't do tells me is, Malfoys do not smile." Draco glared.

"Shut up, Theo!" Theo did as was asked of him but not before adding,

"I'm just saying..." Draco ignored him and strode to the Slytherin dorms, his robes billowing behind him in such a fashion that his godfather, Severus, would be jealous of.

Three weeks passed. Nothing happened. There were the many assignments given from his classes and the Quidditch season starting up, but there was nothing going on. The only remnant of something that could be marked down as eventful would be the many times he and Potter had engaged in their usual verbal spars and Longbottem blowing up his potion everytime they brewed anything in Potions class causing the Gryffindor house to loose quite a lot of points.

Today,well tonight, was different. Professor Sinstra had promised a 'surprise' that would help prepare her students for their OWL's at the end of the year.

Unfortunately, this meant that she was pairing her students with another member of a different house and forcing them to work together. As she read of the list of names, Draco paid little attention to what she was saying, mostly to avoid hearing all the complaints about one's partners. He really just wasn't up for drama this late.

"Pansy Parkinson and Ron Weasley,"A groan.

"Dean Thomas and Blaise Zabini," A muffled complaint.

"Seamus Finnigan and Theadore Nott," An exasperated sigh and some more groans of displeasure. Draco zoned out again until he heard his name.

"Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter,"And with those words the whole room erupted into chaos.

"He can't be stuck with the FERRET!" An angry red-headed weasel shouted.

"Yeah! And I don't want to be stuck with Goyle!" The color girl screeched. "NONE OF US WANT TO BE PAIRED UP WITH THE SNAKES!" There was a roar from the Gryffindors. Pansy spoke up, enraged.

"Like we want to be stuck with YOU!" The other Slytherins hissed their approval. Draco, however stayed quiet. There was Granger, Theo, Longbottem too. There were more people who shouted something before a silencing charm was placed upon the room. A clear, cold voice cut through the room.

"This is a FIFTH YEAR class. And most of you are acting like a bunch of First Years, if not worse. Because too, many of you were involved, I will take one hundred points from each house. But, because Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottem, Mr. Nott, and Mr. Malfoy were silent, I will award each of them twenty points for not engaging in," she made a gesture around the room with her hand, "whatever this is." The professor composed herself and removed the silencing charm. Everyone took their seats and faced Sinstra. She spoke again, in a pinched voice.

"You and your partner will be picking a constellation and researching it. Your parchment will need the location, how and why the constellation is named as such, what the constellation's name means..." Draco zoned out. He really didn't care. His name was a freaking constellation that he knew all about so he didn't care to listen. When he came to, class was over so, without sparing a glance at anyone, Draco picked up his bag and walked towards the door. He was stopped when he felt someone's hand around his left-forearm, and saw his soulmate, and now, partner looking at him in distaste. Potter dragged him through the door and into an empty hallway that was just around the corner. He spoke in a low, harsh tone.

"I hate this."

"Yes, Potter. I can see that. Can you let go of my arm now?" Potter blushed, confused,then looked down. He released Draco's arm and seemed to be expecting Draco to have an outburst. Draco didn't and kept his demeanor calm and indifferent, as if trying to tame a wild beast and speaking too loud would frighten the creature. Except, Draco's calmness seemed to make Potter suspicious.

"Yeah, well..." Potter looked over Draco's shoulder and then roughly brushed past him, leaving Draco confused. He shrugged and slinked back to the Slytherin dorms to try to get some well deserved sleep.


	3. The Project

Draco woke up the next morning feeling groggy. It was bad enough that he'd have to bare with Potter for however long it took him to do his project. He didn't hate the idea of working with Potter- he was overjoyed that he got the chance to work with his soulmate-rather, he despised the fact that he had to hide something so big from someone he wanted to share everything with.

Dragging himself from his bed with a groan, Draco preceded to get ready for the day. After spending half-an-hour on his hair, he decided that he was ready and walked to the Great Hall, grabbing his bag of school supplies before leaving the dorms . He sat down, once again, next to Theo and piled food onto his plate. The two ate in silence as people entered and exited the Hall. Since he and every other Slytherin and Gryffindor had a late night, they 'earned' a morning without classes. Standing up from the table, Draco headed out of the Great Hall.

Those who had decided to be smart, were meeting with their partners, albeit reluctantly, to get a head start on their project. Draco could see some partnerships walking towards the library. He too was walking to the library but for different reasons. He was looking for a book about animagi for extra credit in Transfiguration.

When he reached the library, he strolled to the many aisles of books, heading to the 'A' section. He scanned the section until he found the book he was looking for, located in the center row of the section. He was about to bend down to grab the book when he heard footsteps behind him. He paused then bent over and purposely grabbed the book to the right of the actual one he wanted. More footsteps, slowly shuffling forward. Draco pretended to give a sigh of exasperation then placed the book in its rightful spot on the shelf that had been empty. The footsteps behind him paused then continued to get even closer to Draco. This perturbed him to no end but, he grabbed the correct book and took his time standing up to his full height. Casually, inspecting the cover, reading the table of contents, then flipping to the first chapter, Draco was tapped rather harshly on his shoulder, the finger digging into his skin. He winced and turned around only to be face to face with Potter.

Draco schooled his features into a mask of indifference. Potter just stood there gaping like a fish, as if he had not expected Draco to be there, even though he was the one who had been seeking Draco out.

"What. Do. You. Want." Draco puntcuated his sentences with a breath in between each word.

"I...uhh...wanted to ask you if you wanted to work on our project...er...like now...but if you'rebusydon'tworryaboutit." Potter finished his statement quickly in a mumble. Draco pretended he didn't hear anything, when an idea hit him. He fought back a smirk that was working itself onto his face and asked in a smug and airy voice,

"What was that? I didn't catch that?" Potter grit his teeth in frustration and slowly, but harshly answered.

"I. Said. Do. You. Want. To. Work. On. Our. Project. For. Astronomy. Right. Now. Clear enough for you?"

"Crystal." Draco replied, letting the smirk he'd been holding back on his face out at full force. Potter seemed to be waiting for an answer so, Draco let out an exasperated sigh. "I was planning on doing extra credit for Transfigeration but, I suppose I could work on the project since it's due..." Draco trailed off.

"In about two weeks...well, fifteen days, the day before the first Quidditch match," Potter filled in. Draco nodded dismissively and asked conversationally,

"What constellation do you want to do? We could do the Draco constellation...I know everything about it. It's my namesake."

"We are NOT going to do that, you vain prat!" Potter whisper-yelled. They were in a library after all. Draco frowned.

"Then what would you suggest?" Potter thought for a second then said,

"How about we do the Andromeda constellation..." Draco contemplated the thought.

"Fine. Though I'd rather do the Draco constellation...I think I have someone in my family named that..."

"You do. Your aunt on your mother's side. She was disowned for marrying a muggle-born," Harry answered matter-of-factly.

Draco remembered his mother talking about her, albeit discreetly to Draco, making him swear that he wouldn't tell a soul about what had just been told to him. His expression changed into one of surprise. "And how do you know that Potter? Are you just that interested in me? Why didn't you say?" Draco taunted. Potter frowned. " What? You don't like that I just found out about your secret crush

on me?"

Potter had enough. His fists were clenched in anger and he was grinding his teeth. He blew out a stream of air before he answered,

"No, I do NOT like you. And to answer your first question, I know that because my godfather told me." The words stung Draco...more than he expected them to.

"And who is your godfather, Potter?" He spat then added,"Sirius Black? The mangy mutt of a werewolf?"

Potter clenched his jaw and glared. 'He's hot when he's mad.' Draco's mind supplied unhelpfully. Potter spoke in a low growl,

"Do NOT call Remus that, Ferret! And for your information, my godfather is Sirius Black." he muttered something else but Draco didn't comment, too shocked with the new information he had just received.

"Your parent's murderer is your godfather!" Draco blurted incredulously. Potter nodded his head slightly and answered,

"Yeah...have a problem with that?" Draco shook his head then looked Harry in the eye.

"Do you want to grab a table. It's kind of awkward just standing here...err...I'll get the books on the Andromeda constellation," Draco murmured, gesturing to the book shelf behind him, with his left arm. His sleeve slipped down, but not enough to display the entirety of his soulmark. Potter shook his head, eyes glued to the area of exposed skin on Draco's arm. Feeling unnerved he brought his arm down and covered his arm with his sleeve. Potter walked away to find a table and Draco searched for books.

After searching for five minutes, Draco found two texts that were suitable for the needs of what he assumed would be going into the project. He turned around and saw that Potter had found an empty table in the corner of the library and was sitting with his back towards Draco He sauntered over, ignoring the glares and stares he received while doing so. When he crossed the library and got to the table, he gingerly placed the books on the table in a neat stack. He sat down across from the younger boy. Potter was looking expectantly at him. Feeling uneasy, Draco cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to speak when Potter babbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" Draco asked, feeling even more apprehensive.

Potter looked down, opened his mouth, and whispered, " Can we just...I don't know... have a truce right now? I...erm.. can't work like this...It's so awkward..." He trailed off. Draco chuckled quietly, causing Potter's head to snap up.

Draco composed himself then whispered back, with amusement creeping into his voice, "I know...so...yeah...we can have a truce..." Draco hated the way he had just stuttered because 'Malfoys never stutter', but, he supposed it was worth it when his soulmate beamed at him. Sucking in a breath, he added, "What would this truce entail?'

Potter answered quickly, " Well for starters, this truce goes into the time we aren't just working on this project."Draco nodded. "No insults. Not to me or ANY of my friends and we won't insult you or your cronies. But if someone insults another, they can retaliate." Draco nodded again and added,

"Okay and no arguing. I can't work with someone who is constantly fighting me."

"Yeah, same here. And, can we call each other by our first names...I mean we don't have to but...I guess...it would make it easier to work with you..."

"Fine, Harry...lets just get this thing done." Harry looked a little surprised at the use of his first name coming from the lips of his ex-rival but, he quickly got over it and nodded. Harry grabbed the book on the top of the stack and started flipping through it. "I didn't know you could read," Draco stated absentmindedly. This earned a snort from Harry. "What?! I seriously didn't know you could read. I always thought that the mu- I mean Granger did all your work for you..."

"It's nothing...just something I heard in second year... forget it."

"What about second year? I mean, the Chamber of Secrets was opened and I learned that Crabbe could read..." At that, Harry erupted into quiet giggles.

"Seriously! What is so amusing about that?" Draco demanded.

"It's really nothing..."

"Don't give me that Potter. Tell me."

"Fine...remember in second year everyone thought that I was the Heir to Slytherin?" Draco nodded. "So, Ron and Hermione thought that you had something to do with that..."

"So? What, you polyjuiced into Slytherins to see if I was the Heir?" Harry let out a laugh, only to be shushed by Madam Pince and Granger, who was sitting two tables over to the left. "Wait, let me guess, Granger made the potion and you and the ginger snuck into the common room."

"Actually, yes...Ron turned into Goyle and I was Crabbe...you said something about Dumbledore being the worst thing that's happened to Hogwarts. He's not, by the way." Draco felt a spark of amazement zip through him before he focused on the task at hand.

"So, what are we looking for? I wasn't paying attention..."

" I Uh. We're supposed to find the constellation's location and what latitudes it can be seen at, the bordering constellations, the main stars in the constellation, what the brightest star in the constellation, the area of the constellation, what the constellation symbolizes, what family the constellation is in, how it got it's name, and the time and month it's best seen at." He finished with a breath.

"Okay...I guess we should start now..." Harry nodded and started flipping through the book. Draco grabbed the other book and flipped to the table of contents. Finding the chapter labeled 'Stars' and flipped it. Summoning a several rolls of parchment, Draco took one and a quill and bottle of ink out and set it on the table.

Though the Andromeda constellation has over a trillion stars, there are sixteen main stars. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Andromedae, but is also known as Alpheratz- the star's traditional name.

Draco wrote notes on what he had read and continued to read through the chapter. Finding nothing of importance to what he needed for the report, he flipped back to the table of contents. Another chapter was called 'Size and Location' and turned to that chapter. Making a section in his notes, Draco labeled the previous one 'Stars' and the other as 'Size and Location' just like the chapter titles.

The Andromeda is the 19th largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 722 square degrees. It is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere. Andromeda can be seen at latitudes between 90 and -40. The neighboring constellations are Cassiopeia, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, Pisces and Triangulum.

Draco wrote down notes on the paragraph and copied the map as best as he could. Not needing to find any information from the chapter, he decided that he didn't need to read anything more. He looked up to see that Harry had also grabbed a roll of parchment and was writing notes in his signature messy scrawl. Draco cleared his throat which got Harry's attention.

"Did you find anything?" Harry nodded and looked down at his notes.

"Yeah, I found how many main stars or in the constellation and what month and time the constellation is best seen at."

"I also found the star thing and the latitudes and how large the constellation is. So, we can check off five things off the list of things we need to find."

"Mhmm. We should probably look at other books... "

"We need a book just about constellations and we should probably get a book of myths since a lot of astronomy related things have to do with myths and legends of ancient peoples."

The two found all the books they could that were available about constellations and myths. They scoured through the books and were only interrupted when their stomachs growled in hunger. Picking up their pile of books, they checked them out, put them in their bags and made their way to the Great Hall. Making small talk they reached the Great Hall. When the two emerged together, there was a hush that fell over the grand room. Shrugging, the two when to their tables and sat down. Draco once again sat down next to Theo who was grinning. Before Theo could begin to speak, Draco cast a 'silencio' on him. Theo opened and closed his mouth rapidly then realized that he couldn't be heard.

Draco's lunch continued in a comfortable silence and then a red-headed prat stomped out of the Hall in a rage. He looked to Harry and saw that he looked distraught and upset. Draco found a stray piece of parchment in his bag and folded it into a paper crane after writing a quick note reading:

H,

Meet me at the library after dinner.

-D

Afternoon classes took forever and Draco couldn't be more bored. Thankfully, it was dinner and Draco was shoveling food into his mouth as fast as possible without appearing to be rushing. Draco was just finishing up when Theo sat down next to him.

"What's got you in a hurry? You gonna visit your sou-" He was cut off by Draco putting his hand over his mouth.

"You need to shut up. I am going to the library. I'll see you later." And with that, Draco let go of Theo and walked out of the Great Hall and into the library, surprised to see that Harry was already there. He was pacing and and biting the nails of his left hand.

"What's wrong?" Harry jerked his head up looking at Draco in surprise.

"Oh...it's...erm...it's nothing..."

"It's clearly not nothing since you're acting like this and probably has something to do with your red-headed friend and lunch. Tell me."

"Ron isn't...he isn't happy with this arrangement..." Harry said, stiffly.

"I can't do anything about that..."

"I know. And I need this to work. At least for now," Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. Draco walked up to him and put his hand on Harry's shoulder with much hesitation. Harry let his hand stay there. Draco lowered his voice.

"Hey, you're fine. He did this last year, didn't he? He was jealous, right?"

"Yeah...I hope he'll come around eventually..." Harry whispered sadly.

"I'm sure he will. Friends always do," Draco stated.

"And what would you know?! 'Cause I'm sure that Crabbe and Goyle don't count," Harry demanded, suddenly angry.

"They don't! They're not my friends. They basically follow me around because their fathers told them too. But I do have friends. Theo, Blaise, Pansy. They're my friends. And I know that we've all had times like this! But it gets better. At least eventually..." Draco trailed off, the anger fading. He shook his head and sighed. "You know what, I'm trying to help. Wether your my enemy, or my friend, or my sou-" Draco slapped a hand over his mouth. Harry didn't seem to catch the slip so he continued. "Look, I know you're upset but it WILL get better. I promise."

Harry still seemed distraught so Draco changed the subject. "Why don't we figure out when we're going to meet next. I mean, we still have to work to it and I'm not doing it all by myself." Harry nodded numbly.

So, they set up a schedule and throughout the time they had left, they worked on their project and remained on civil, if not friendly, terms. Draco grew to be quite fond of Harry and could sense the same from him. If only for the soulmate thing. Draco wanted to tell Harry with every part of his being. But, to risk everything that had been rebuilt in days, wasn't worth the risk.


End file.
